The two extreme points from where we look at water could be that "Water is life, and clean water means health" - Audrey Hepburn, or an extremely scary angle that the "World War III will be fought over water" - Special Broadcasting Service (Aug 17, 2017). Both highlight the urgency for us to act, as citizens, as academics, as managers or as scientists. In the present scenario, how do we perceive water? Do we believe the reality of water crisis? Are we making the right decisions to secure a better future for the coming generations? As the driver for all forms of life on earth, water is an excellent solvent, however, this excellent solvent’s characteristics, when combined with its flow, makes it a potent carrier of pollutants and pathogenic microorganisms that are often harmful to health. So, what makes water safe to consume and use for many other purposes? Is the water in surface and groundwater bodies in the Ahmedabad area safe for all forms of life?

Since it is believed that unless we bring our large and complex issues into our discourses, we may not be able to act on solving them, Studio on Water discusses these questions. It attempts to turn students into aware citizens of the country by enabling them to ask relevant questions around the subject of water. The Studio uses a range of disciplinary lenses like science, social sciences, economics, art, history, cultural heritage, environmental management for students to visualise water in its entirety. Students advance gradually from the local to the global level, understanding the characteristics, policies, institutions, innovations and societal challenges related to water. The real-life exposure from this Studio allows students to examine the issue of water from varied vantage points and understand the gaps that need to be addressed. This studio helps students to obtain a holistic view of the challenges and opportunities that lie in the water economy through experiments, discussions, surveys and projects, motivating them to explore and act further.